Glycemic Index Quotes

Any diet can be made healthy or at least healthier—from vegan to meat-heavy—if the high-glycemic-index carbohydrates and sugars are removed, or reduced significantly.

The point to keep in mind is that you don't lose fat because you cut calories; you lose fat because you cut out the foods that make you fat-the carbohydrates.

Shechter recommended sticking to foods such as oatmeal, fruits and vegetables, and legumes and nuts, which all have a low glycemic index. Exercising every day for at least thirty minutes, he added, is an extra heart-smart action to take.

The three rules for getting control of your diet. Rule 1. If you’re OK, you’re OK. Rule 2. If you want to lose weight: Don’t eat. If you have to eat, don’t eat carbs. If you have to eat carbs, eat low-glycemic index carbs. Rule 3. If you have diabetes or metabolic syndrome, carbohydrate restriction is the “default” approach, that is, the one to try first.

Yet there are problems with speeding up whole-grain bread, and they begin with the flour. Many if not most of the new whole-grain white breads on the market are made with a new variety of hard white wheat developed by ConAgra. This is why the bread doesn’t look like whole wheat: the specks of bran are white, or whitish. They are also microscopic: The wheat is milled by ConAgra using a patented process called Ultrafine that attains a degree of fineness never before achieved in a whole-grain flour. This resulting flour, called Ultragrain, makes for a softer, whiter whole-grain bread, but at a price. It is metabolized almost as fast as white flour, obviating one of the most important health advantages of whole grains: that our bodies absorb and metabolize them slowly, and so avoid the insulin spikes that typically accompany refined carbohydrates. A common measure of the speed by which a food raises glucose levels in the blood (and therefore insulin, an important risk factor for many chronic diseases) is the glycemic index. The glycemic index of a whole-grain Wonder Bread (around 71) is essentially the same as that of Classic Wonderbread (73). (By comparison, the glycemic index of whole-grain bread made with stone-ground flour is only 52.) So perhaps we really have gotten too smart for our own good. Using

Just as calories differ according to how they affect the body, so too do carbohydrates. All carbohydrates break down into sugar, but the rate at which this occurs in the digestive tract varies tremendously from food to food. This difference forms the basis for the glycemic index (GI). The GI ranks carbohydrate-containing foods according to how they affect blood glucose, from 0 (no affect at all) to 100 (equal to glucose). Gram for gram, most starchy foods raise blood glucose to very high levels and therefore have high GI values. In fact, highly processed grain products – like white bread, white rice, and prepared breakfast cereals – and the modern white potato digest so quickly that their GI ratings are even greater than table sugar (sucrose). So for breakfast, you could have a bowl of cornflakes with no added sugar, or a bowl of sugar with no added cornflakes. They would taste different but, below the neck, act more or less the same. A related concept is the glycemic load (GL), which accounts for the different carbohydrate content of foods typically consumed. Watermelon has a high GI, but relatively little carbohydrate in a standard serving, producing a moderate GL. In contrast, white potato has a high GI and lots of carbohydrate in a serving, producing a high GL. If this sounds a bit complicated, think of GI as describing how foods rank in a laboratory setting, whereas GL as applying more directly to a real-life setting. Research has shown that the GL reliably predicts, to within about 90 percent, how blood glucose will change after an actual meal – much better than simply counting carbohydrates as people with diabetes have been taught to do.

But here’s the dilemma: Why is “how-to” so alluring when, truthfully, we already know “how to” yet we’re still standing in the same place longing for more joy, connection, and meaning? Most everyone reading this book knows how to eat healthy. I can tell you the Weight Watcher points for every food in the grocery store. I can recite the South Beach Phase I grocery shopping list and the glycemic index like they’re the Pledge of Allegiance. We know how to eat healthy. We also know how to make good choices with our money. We know how to take care of our emotional needs. We know all of this, yet … We are the most obese, medicated, addicted, and in-debt Americans EVER. Why? We have more access to information, more books, and more good science—why are we struggling like never before? Because we don’t talk about the things that get in the way of doing what we know is best for us, our children, our families, our organizations, and our communities. I can know everything there is to know about eating healthy, but if it’s one of those days when Ellen is struggling with a school project and Charlie’s home sick from school and I’m trying to make a writing deadline and Homeland Security increased the threat level and our grass is dying and my jeans don’t fit and the economy is tanking and the Internet is down and we’re out of poop bags for the dog—forget it! All I want to do is snuff out the sizzling anxiety with a pumpkin muffin, a bag of chips, and chocolate. We don’t talk about what keeps us eating until we’re sick, busy beyond human scale, desperate to numb and take the edge off, and full of so much anxiety and self-doubt that we can’t act on what we know is best for us. We don’t talk about the hustle for worthiness that’s become such a part of our lives that we don’t even realize that we’re dancing. When I’m having one of those days that I just described, some of the anxiety is just a part of living, but there are days when most of my anxiety grows out of the expectations I put on myself. I want Ellen’s project to be amazing. I want to take care of Charlie without worrying about my own deadlines. I want to show the world how great I am at balancing my family and career. I want our yard to look beautiful. I want people to see us picking up our dog’s poop in biodegradable bags and think, My God! They are such outstanding citizens. There are days when I can fight the urge to be everything to everyone, and there are days when it gets the best of me.

The type of wheat that we currently consume is called dwarf wheat, named for its short stature relative to other varietals of wheat. Despite its diminutive size, dwarf wheat is highly prolific and produces a lot more grains per acre, which is an outstanding trait for productivity and profitability. 28 However, its nutritional content has declined over the years—ancient grains such as einkorn wheat are 200 to 400 percent higher in vitamin A, vitamin E, and the antioxidant lutein as well as certain minerals when compared to modern wheat. 29 Dwarf wheat is also significantly higher in starch content, especially in a type of starch called amylopectin A that contributes to a higher glycemic index for wheat and has been associated with insulin resistance. 30

LESSONS FROM A WHEAT-FREE EXPERIMENT An interesting fact: Whole wheat bread (glycemic index 72) increases blood sugar as much as or more than table sugar, or sucrose (glycemic index 59). (Glucose increases blood sugar to 100, hence a glycemic index of 100. The extent to which a particular food increases blood sugar relative to glucose determines that food’s glycemic index.) So when I was devising a strategy to help my overweight, diabetes-prone patients reduce blood sugar most efficiently, it made sense to me that the quickest and simplest way to get results would be to eliminate the foods that caused their blood sugar to rise most profoundly: in other words, not sugar, but wheat.

GLYCEMIC INDEX (GI) AND GLYCEMIC LOAD (GL) OF COMMON PLANT FOODS* FOOD GI GL Black beans 30 7 Red kidney beans 25 8 Lentils 30 5 Split peas 25 6 Black-eyed peas 30 13 Corn 52 9 Barley 35 16 Brown rice 75 18 Millet 71 25 Rolled oats 55 13 White rice 83 23 Whole wheat 70 14 White pasta 55 23 Sweet potato 61 17 White potato (average) 90 26 There is a nutritional hierarchy of carbohydrate-rich plant foods.

DID YOU KNOW? Many people committed to lowering their sugar intake are still eating “healthful” wheat products such as whole-wheat bread even though one teaspoon of table sugar has a glycemic index of 59, while a slice of whole-wheat bread has a glycemic index of 72!

These fruits all have a glycemic index of 60 or below and should be the mainstays of your fruit supplies: Apples Apricots Avocadoes Bananas Blackberries Cantaloupe Cherries Cranberries Grapefruit Guavas Kiwis Lemons Limes Oranges Papayas Peaches Plums Raspberries Rhubarb Strawberries Tangerines Tomatoes These fruits have a glycemic index of over 60 and should be enjoyed less frequently or eliminated from your diet: Any dried fruit Blueberries Figs Grapes Kumquats Loganberries Mangoes Mulberries Pears Pineapples Pomegranates

These vegetables all have a glycemic index of less than 20 and should be your go-to veggies: Asparagus Bean sprouts Beet greens Broccoli Cabbages Cauliflowers Celery Cucumbers Endive Lettuces Mustard greens Radishes Spinach Swiss chard Watercress These vegetables have a glycemic index of 60 or less and can also be eaten frequently: Beets Brussels sprouts Chives Collards Dandelion leaves Eggplants Kale Kohlrabi Leeks Okra Onions Parsley Peas Peppers Pimento peppers Pumpkins Rutabagas String beans Turnips

Grain products are lower on the nutrient density scale, so limit yourself to one serving per day of whole grain products such as steel cut oats, wild or black rice, quinoa, farro, cornmeal, or 100 percent whole grain bread. Remember, an intact grain has a lower glycemic index than one ground into a flour, so steel cut oats are better than oatmeal flakes, which are better than oat flour.

A 2009 study showed that pre-diabetes could be induced in healthy volunteers in only eight weeks. Healthy subjects ate 25 per cent of their daily calories as Kool-Aid sweetened with either glucose or fructose. While this seems high, many people consume this high proportion of sugar in their diets.17 With its low glycemic index, fructose raised blood glucose much less. The fructose, but not the glucose group, developed pre-diabetes by eight weeks. Insulin levels as well as measures of insulin resistance were significantly higher in the fructose group. So only six days of excess fructose will cause insulin resistance. By eight weeks, pre-diabetes is establishing a beachhead. What happens after decades of high fructose consumption? Fructose overconsumption leads directly to insulin resistance.

Sucrose stimulates insulin production both in the short term and in the long term. In this way, sucrose is twice as bad as glucose. The effect of glucose is obvious in the glycemic index, but the effect of fructose is completely hidden. This fact misled scientists to downplay the role of sucrose in obesity.

As soon as possible, following your workout you need to consume: • 30 – 50 grams of a lean complete protein like whey, soy, egg, chicken or fish. • 30 – 50 grams of carbohydrates with a high glycemic index. Why lean protein? Because fat slows the absorption of protein and carbs. During a brief window of opportunity after your workout, protein synthesis occurs at the highest rate. This is due to the micro-trauma (broken-down muscle tissue) that occurred during your workout. Complete recovery will be optimized if you provide your muscles with a large supply of amino acids—the key components of protein—within 45 minutes after your training session. A whey protein shake is the best post-workout protein choice because it is so rapidly absorbed, and it has the highest efficiency ratio, or availability to the body, of all proteins. Why carbs with a high glycemic index? Immediately following your workout is the only time to eat carbs that rapidly absorb into the blood stream as the glucose causes an insulin spike. Insulin helps shuttle protein into the muscles, repairing and building new muscle. It is also an important hormone that regulates the storage, replacement, and use of glucose. During a workout, the body uses stored glucose that is in the blood and muscles as fuel for the activity. If the lost glucose isn’t refilled within about 45 minutes after training, your body rapidly goes from an anabolic state (muscle growth and repair) to a catabolic state (cannibalizing of the body’s muscle for protein and energy). Since insulin signals the body to replenish and store glycogen, and the release of insulin is best triggered by eating foods with a high glycemic index, it makes sense that eating carbohydrates with a high glycemic index, along with some lean protein, is the best post-workout choice. An effective and convenient post workout meal is a whey or soy protein supplement, which contains maltodextrin, or simple sugars, as its carb source.

Any harmful effect of high glycemic index carbohydrates is reduced by eating them together with low glycemic index foods

Some researchers attribute the increase in gluten intolerance and celiac disease to the fact that modern breads no longer receive a lengthy fermentation. The organic acids produced by the sourdough culture also seem to slow our bodies’ absorption of the sugars in white flour, reducing the dangerous spikes of insulin that refined carbohydrates can cause. (Put another way, a sourdough bread will have a lower “glycemic index” than a bread leavened with yeast.) Lastly, the acids activate an enzyme called phytase, which unlocks many of the minerals that, in a seed, have been carefully locked up (or “chelated”) for the eventual use of the germinating plant. To

Many of us have been told to eat foods that are lower on the glycemic index. What you probably have not have been told is that the glycemic index only applies when the food is consumed by itself. In other words, if you eat a fruit, let’s say blueberries, alone, you will get a boost in insulin production (10). However, if you eat the blueberries with some cottage cheese, your insulin production won’t increase nearly as much because of the protein in the cottage cheese. So, if you are going to eat fruit, eat it with some protein.

The best food to consume immediately after a strength-training workout is 12 ounces of a liquid protein/carbohydrate drink. The drink should consist of 0.7 grams of a high-glycemic-index carb per pound of body weight (about 100 to 140 grams) and 0.2 grams of protein per pound of body weight (about 30 to 40 grams). Carbohydrates should be high-nutritious, high-glycemic-index sources such as fruits (bananas, strawberries, oranges, and so on) and honey. This is the only time I recommend eating a high-glycemic food (more about the glycemic index later). Protein sources can include nonfat milk, nonfat yogurt, soy milk, and protein powder supplements.

Put 2 1/2 cups filtered water in the blender. Optionally, add: ½ tsp. stevia (herbal sweetener) or cup raw, organic agave nectar (low glycemic index) ¼ whole lemon, including peel (anti-skin cancer, high in flavonoids) 2-3 Tbsp. fresh, refrigerated flax oil (omega-3 rich oil) Gradually add until, briefly pureed, the mixture comes up to the 5-cup line(or less if you're "converting"): ¾  to 1 lb. raw, washed greens, added up to 5 1/2 cup line: spinach, chard, kale, collards are your mainstays

Eat carbs in the medium–high range of the glycemic index (60-90 is a good rule of thumb) about 30 minutes before you exercise, and again within 30 minutes of finishing your workout.

According to glycemic index principles, it would be fine for an alcoholic to drink beer, but not whisky since beer raises your blood alcohol level more slowly, making beer healthy, but whisky not. If abstinence is curative, what value is there in the science of less? Asking a diabetic to count their carbohydrates is no different than asking an alcoholic to count their drinks.

given sufficient time, high-fructose diets can induce high insulin levels, high blood sugar, and insulin resistance, even though in the short term fructose has little effect on either blood sugar or insulin and so a very low glycemic index. It has also been known since the 1960s that fructose elevates blood pressure more than an equivalent amount of glucose does, a phenomenon called fructose-induced hypertension. Because

Wolever and Jenkins tested sixty-two foods and recorded the blood-sugar response in the two hours after consumption. Different individuals responded differently, and the variation from day to day was “tremendous,” as Wolever says, but the response to a specific food was still reasonably consistent. They also tested a solution of glucose alone to provide a benchmark, which they assigned a numerical value of 100. Thus the glycemic index became a comparison of the blood-sugar response induced by a particular carbohydrate food to the response resulting from drinking a solution of glucose alone. The higher the glycemic index, the faster the digestion of the carbohydrates and the greater the resulting blood sugar and insulin. White bread, they reported, had a glycemic index of 69; white rice, 72; corn flakes, 80; apples, 39; ice cream, 36. The presence of fat and protein in a food decreased the blood-sugar response, and so decreased the glycemic index. One

Agave was felt to be a healthier alternative to sugar due to its lower glycemic index. Dr. Mehmet Oz, a cardiologist popular on American television, briefly touted the health benefits of agave nectar before reversing his stance when he realized it was mostly fructose (80 percent).4 Agave’s low glycemic index was simply due to its high fructose content.

The difference in the ability of carbohydrates to raise blood glucose is reflected in a measurement called the glycemic index. A food’s glycemic index is a numeric value representing its ability to increase blood glucose two hours after a meal.

But overall, blood glucose was responsible for only 23 percent of the variability in the insulin response. The vast majority of the insulin response (77 percent) has nothing to do with blood sugars. Insulin, not glucose, drives weight gain, and that changes everything. This point is precisely where glycemic index diets failed.

Craving sweets from time to time is normal, but a diet with excessive sugar can cause these cravings to get out of control. Part of the problem is the insulin spike caused by these sugars. The insulin rids your blood of its glucose leaving you feeling tired and craving more glucose to replace the glucose that has been emptied out of your bloodstream. This creates a vicious circle. The solution? Eat carbs with a low glycemic index. As much as possible, especially for those of you looking to shed body fat, get your carbs from whole pieces of fruit and raw or steamed vegetables, because they have the lowest glycemic index and contain valuable nutrients. The next best source is dairy and whole grain products.

The Low Glycemic Index Treatment diet (LGIT) is a relatively new diet that was created by Dr. Elizabeth Thiele and dietitian Heidi Pfeifer at Massachusetts General Hospital about ten years ago. While it is still considered a high fat diet, it allows for greater freedom with 40 to 60 grams of carbohydrates, using only carbohydrates that are low on the glycemic index (GI) (<50). The GI is a measure of the effect of carbohydrates on blood sugar levels. The lower the number, the less the carbohydrate will alter your blood sugar level. When you hear the term “sugar rush,” that is often due to the rise of glucose in your bloodstream after consuming a sugar-rich food; foods that are high on the glycemic index raise the blood sugar levels in your body, and because all that goes up must come down, eventually the blood sugars will descend, causing the classic “crash” we’ve all felt hours

This is not to say that I have outgrown those elemental desires that drew me to transhumanism—just that they express themselves in more conventional ways. Over the intervening years, I have given up alcohol, drugs, sugar, and bread. On any given week, my Google search history is a compendium of cleanse recipes, high-intensity workouts, and the glycemic index of various exotic fruits. I spend my evenings in the concrete and cavernous halls of a university athletic center, rowing across virtual rivers and cycling up virtual hills, guided by the voice of my virtual trainer, Jessica, who came with an app that I bought. It’s easy enough to justify these rituals of health optimization as more than mere vanity, especially when we’re so frequently told that physical health determines our mental and emotional well-being. But if I’m honest with myself, these pursuits have less to do with achieving a static state of well-being than with the thrill of possibility that lies at the root of all self-improvement: the delusion that you are climbing an endless ladder of upgrades and solutions. The fact that I am aware of this delusion has not weakened its power over me. Even as I understand the futility of the pursuit, I persist in an almost mystical belief that I can, through concerted effort, feel better each year than the last, as though the trajectory of my life led toward not the abyss but some pinnacle of total achievement and solution, at which point I will dissolve into pure energy. Still, maintaining this delusion requires a kind of willful vigilance that can be exhausting.

Glycemic Index The glycemic index (GI) is a numeric system that ranks how quickly the body converts various foods into glucose. Foods are ranked on a scale of 0 to 100 depending on how they affect blood sugar levels once eaten. A GI rating of 55 and under is considered low on the index, while a rating of 56 to 69 is medium, and a rating of 70 or above is high. Simple carbohydrates are converted into glucose quickly and thus have high GI ratings. For example, sucrose’s rating is 65, white bread’s is 71, white rice’s is 89, and white potato’s is 82. Complex carbohydrates are converted into glucose more slowly and thus have lower GI ratings. For example, apples’ rating is 39, black beans’ is 30, peanuts’ is 7, and whole-grain pasta’s is 42. Fiber Fiber is a mostly indigestible type of carbohydrate found in many types of foods, including fruits, vegetables, legumes, and grains.

That’s why the glycemic index of intact wheat kernels (wheatberries) or even cracked wheat (like bulgur found in tabbouleh) is down around 45, but whole-wheat bread is nearly as bad as white bread with both up about 70.

The glycemic index of pasta is in the moderate range, at 55, compared to the glycemic index of even whole-wheat bread, which may exceed 70.

Easy Ways To Make Your Favorite Foods Healthier So you have decided that it is time to eat healthy. The only thing you know is that it's hard to change something that you have been doing all your life. The tips that you will find in this article will help you lead a nutritious life and to keep with it. To avoid eating too much food at mealtime when dieting, use smaller plates, bowls and cups. It is instinct to fill up your plate so if you use smaller dishes, you will eat less food. Your mind will also let your stomach know you are full since you see a full plate when eating. A great nutritional tip is to subscribe to a magazine devoted to nutrition. There are plenty of publications out there that offer interesting recipes, as well as, the latest information regarding health and nutrition. Having a nutrition magazine like this, can make cooking at home, a lot more exciting. To stay away from sodas and other sugary drinks, you need to find an alternative. It is natural to have cravings for something sweet: why not try fruit juice? Or better yet, mix fruit juice and water. Buy some oranges and squeeze them yourself. You can do the same with a lot of fruits, and combine different kind of juices for flavor. Try buying your fruits and vegetables at a farmer's market near you. Not only do locally-grown foods have a minimal impact on the environment, but they are also better for you, since small farms generally use less harmful chemicals. It's fun to walk around and sample all the delicious fruits and vegetables. Converse with the farmers to ensure you know exactly where and how the food was produced. A good nutrition tip is to stay away from muffins and bagels when you're eating breakfast. Muffins and bagels tend to be high in sugar, and their glycemic index is pretty high. This means that they'll more than likely be stored as fat. Try eating oatmeal instead. Salad is one of the best things that you can put into your body, and can limit the amount of fat that you consume. Instead of eating a hearty meal that is filled with calories and carbohydrates, eat a salad. This will go a long way in your quest for the perfect body. If you are a big coffee drinker, try switching to decaf coffee. Decaf coffee is low in calories and can help you with your coffee cravings. If you need to add items to your coffee, such as sugar or milk, be sure to use the healthiest options available: for example, skim milk or sugar substitute. Liven up your homemade omelet, by including fresh or frozen vegetables. Omelets have an irresistible attraction when they contain fresh or frozen vegetables. Vegetables add interest, as well as, texture, color, flavor and vital nutrients. Just slice some up, saute and then add them to the omelet just before you flip and close it up. As you can see with these tips, switching over to a nutritious lifestyle is not as hard as it first seems. With the simple ideas presented in this article, you will be able to live a healthy and nutritious life. So no matter what kinds of foods you were eating before, if you follow these tips, you will succeed.

Vinegar is also a protective factor. Used in many traditional foods, it may help reduce insulin spikes. Italians often eat bread dipped in oil and vinegar—a prime example of eating a high-carb food with protective factors. Vinegar is added to sushi rice, which reduces its glycemic index by 20 per cent to 40 per cent.53 Fish and chips are often eaten with malt vinegar. Apple cider vinegar may be taken diluted in some water.

Make foods with a glycemic index lower than 35 the bulk of your diet.

Avoid tropical fruits because of their increased glycemic index.

Cyrex Array 3 can show if you have gluten sensitivity. When you look for gluten-free alternatives, just be careful not to choose any with rice flour or other high-glycemic-index ingredients. You don’t want to trade leaky gut for diabetes.

Not surprisingly, refined carbohydrates cause a surge in insulin levels. What was astounding was that dietary proteins could cause a similar surge. The glycemic index does not consider protein or fats at all because they do not raise glucose, and that approach essentially ignores the fattening effects of two out of the three major macronutrients. Insulin can increase independently of blood sugar.

Cranberry Catsup